With government trust low and political division high, there is great opportunity to plant the seeds for civic health. Recognizing this issue, leaders from the University of Washington and Washington State University sought a solution. Inspired in part by Lt. Governor Denny Heck’s Project for Civic Health, which called for improved political collaboration, they launched a new initiative to foster bipartisan leadership in Washington.
The Washington Collaborative Elected Leaders Institute (WA-CELI) is not just another leadership program. Developed by the UW’s Evans School of Public Policy & Governance, WSU’s William D. Ruckelshaus Center and the Association of Washington Cities, WA-CELI is a hands-on, iterative experience that is designed to equip public leaders with key collaboration skills.
Last summer, the first in-person WA-CELI session was held at the UW’s Spokane Center, followed by a September session at WSU Everett and an October session at WSU Tri-Cities. A post-session capstone will be presented in Kennewick this June. Graduates of this program will join a network of public leaders committed to collaboration and affecting positive change in Washington.